Hiking the Seven Rila Lakes in Bulgaria

I was waiting for this moment for almost 2 years. Since the last time I visited the spectacular Seven Rila Lakes in Bulgaria I went to many other hikes but always felt like this was the most rewarding one. Keep reading to see why!

The Seven Rila Lakes are situated in the highest mountain on the Balkans – Rila (2925 m), between 2,100 and 2,500 metres above sea level. The Lakes are just 1,30 h away from the capital of Bulgaria, which makes them a perfect day trip from Sofia. All seven of the lakes has their own name which reflects its typical shape or characteristics. The names of the Seven Rila Lakes are:

The Tear – the highest one

The Eye – the deepest one

The Kidney – perfect for a picnic

The Twin – the largest one

The Trefoil

The Fish Lake – the shallowest one

The Lower Lake – the lowest one

How to get to Seven Rila Lakes

Unfortunately, there is no direct bus to the Lakes. You can travel to Dupnitsa and Sapareva Banya and then take a taxi to the base of the lift (not working during winter months). The best way is to get there by car.

When you arrive, you have two choices: to take the lift to the Rila Lakes hut where the hike starts (18 BGN ~ 9 EUR both ways) or hike all the way to the hut. The lift will take you around 20 min to buy a ticket, 20 min to get to the lift and 15 min ride ~ 1 h. The hike will take you around 2 h.

There is also a Rila Shuttle running from Sofia to Seven Rila Lakes. The price for two-way tickets starts from only 24,99 EUR. If you use the discount code TravBuzz15, you get a discount from the prices.

The hike

When you hike the Seven Rila Lakes you pass by each one of them from the lowest to the highest one. That’s what makes the hike so unique – you start with one, then two, three of them and when you get to the last one – The Tear, you can see all seven of them in unique harmony with the mountain.

I separate the hike in 3 parts – to The Kidney, to The Tear and the hike back:

1) The hike to The Kidney: When you get to the Rila Lakes hut you can start your hike. You have around one hour to get to “The Kidney” where you can take a nice picnic. The hike here is not very hard, you can take it easy and enjoy the beautiful views to the first 3-4 lakes. With this hike you pass around The Lower lake, The Fish lake, The Trefoil and The Twin and you get to The Kidney. There you can have your deserved break.

The Kidney lake, perfect for a picnic

The Kidney

2) The hike to The Tear: This one is a bit harder if you are not a regular hiker. It takes again around an hour to get to the highest lake – The Tear, while you pass by The Eye. With many little breaks you can get to the highest point where you will forget all the pain and efforts! You have a 360 degree view to all the Seven Lakes in a perfect harmony with the Rila mountain landscape.

Passing by The Kidney

The Eye

The Tear

3) The hike back: It takes around 2 hours to get to the Rila Lakes hut. It is better to take a different rout. First you get back to The Kidney, then you take the lower rout where you pass by the first 4 lakes we mentioned The Lower lake, The Fish lake, The Trefoil and The Twin. The you get to the chair lift, wait for your turn and get back to your car 🙂

The spectacular view from the top!

Good job! You did it! Don’t forget to look up and enjoy the amazing views in Rila mountain.

Latest comments

Great article!! I loved hiking the Seven Rila Lakes- unfortunately when I went I was not able to go all the way to the last lake as I had a sore back. I am hoping to go again very soon and your article has inspired me!! THANKS 🙂 Kylie

Beautiful pictures, Maria!
We went a couple of years ago in May and the lift was closed on that day. Fortunately for us, there were a couple of 4WD SUVs bringing people all the way to the hut. The drive itself turned out to be the extremest part of the hike 🙂
Unfortunately, we only made it to the 5th lake, The Kidney, as there were still a lot of snow and ice leftovers and the hike was very tiring. The path to the last two lakes was all covered in snow and required special equipment… Also, we were afraid it would get dark before we could come down.
Nice post, I’m tweeting this shortly 🙂
Cheers, N.

Seven rila lakes is one of the most attractive and adventure place of bulgaria. it has so many destinations but bunch of peoples scattered here only its view from top is looks like a heaven.. ultimate spot never miss it!!!!

Zuzana|September 22, 2015

Hii Maria, the description is reallz tempting and the photos are magical, thank you!
I would really need to know how much time we need for the hike (we’re fit and healthy) from leaving the car to coming back to it if we skip the lift. Can you or anyone give us that estimation please?

Maika|January 14, 2016

Dear Maria, thanks for your information! we will visit the area in july 2016. I am looking for a list of mountain huts in rila and pirin in ENGLISH, and information as to reservation of accomodation in the huts. do you (or anybody else) know and would kindly give me a hint where to find that information? kind greetings maika

Unfortunately, the information is still hard to find in English. If you want some professional help, my friend Adriana is a tour guide in Bulgaria and she’s working closely with mountain guides. Maybe you can ask her and she can tell you more about the itinerary: http://privateguidebulgaria.com/

Elisa|August 15, 2016

Hi Maria, I read your post about the lakes and I found it more useful than the rest of the information I found online. A friend will come to visit me and I’m planning to go from Sofia to the Rila Monastry and then to the lakes spending a night out. Do you know if there is any kind of connection between the monastry and the lakes?
Thanks
Elisa

Hi James, The start of the hike starts at Pionerska hub – there you will find the start of the chair lift. You can use the lift to save 30-40 minutes. Then, after the lift, the real hike with views to the lakes starts. There is a hub – Rila Lakes on the top part of the lift. Good luck!

Darshada|October 15, 2016

So would it be possible to do the round trip from Sofia and also visit the Monastery in one day or is it better to spend a night over?
I’m going around the 20th of November. I don’t know if it will be possible to go there since the weather might be very bad, but just in case I prefer to have some informations before 🙂

Yes, you can visit the Monastery in one day. It is only a few hours away from Sofia with a car. The buses stay just for a bit and then go back to Sofia, so with a car it will be easier. I believe the weather won’t be a problem, it is after all the most visited site in Bulgaria.

Yes, it is possible to hike in November with the proper equipment and preparation. If the lift is closed, it takes you around 1,30 h. to compensate so it is not a huge difference. It can still be done in a day. 🙂

This is the website of the Lakes: https://www.rilskiezera.bg/?act=content&rec=51. It’s in Bulgarian only, but the most important things are: working hours 09:00 till 16:30, phone contact: 0884 163 479. For most accurate info, you can call them and ask.

Wish you best!

Paolo|June 21, 2017

Hello Maria, this is definetely the best online location where to find info about a hike towards the rila lakes. I would like to know if the chair lift has the same working hours also on sunday. moreover, how long do you think would it take to go to the rila lakes hub without taking the chair lift?

Billy|June 24, 2017

hello maria! thank you for your blog, it’s really helpful for me to plan my trip to Bulgaria!
i would like to know if it is possible to get to seven rila lakes by public bus from sofia, and then back to sofia again on the same day? it looks like the first bus leaves at 2.20pm which makes it impossible to visit in a day? would love to hear your suggestion, as I have to rely on public transport.

Unfortunately, public transportation to the Seven Rila Lakes is not very convenient. You can get from Sofia to Sapareva Banya and then take a taxi to the lift (the way back is the same) or go to Dupnitsa with a bus and use a shuttle from the bus station in Dupnitsa to rila lakes lift (not confirmed).

I really recommend you use the Rila Shuttle service: https://www.rilashuttle.com/7-rila-lakes/ – it is the most convenient way to go to the seven rila lakes from Sofia and get back in one day. Use the code TravBuzz15 for a small discount.

gabriela|July 25, 2017

Hello! i am going to the seven rila lakes in a couple of days and i was wondering, how long did the entire hike take you? i found an awesome tour that picks up in sofia in the morning and drops you off by the end of the day with a total hike time of 4-5 hours and I am wondering if that is enough to see all of the lakes? great article by the way it was great to hear someone’s perspective who has gone!

Karyn|April 10, 2018

It looks great. Since I’ll be going to Bulgaria in October, I want to add 7 lakes into my itinerary. Just to check, is the lift services still working in October? And whether the weather is still suitable to hike?

Hi Maria, We are planning to visit the seven rila lakes in May and I would like to ask if it is safe to trek up with a 15-month old? I am not sure about taking the lift with him so would probably be a full day walking tour for us. I am just concerned about the elevation. your advice is much appreciated. thank you!

I am not aware of travelling with children unfortunately, nor do I have the expertise to tell you so. You can get in touch with my friends at https://bulguides.com/ who are mountain guides and they can give you more precise info about this.

Good luck and enjoy Bulgaria <3

Stephanie J Weilnau|April 21, 2018

Hello Maria-
Great Information. Two quick questions- I will be spending time in Plovdiv and Sofia, which is it better to access thelakes from? Also, will it be too hot in August to hike?
Thanks in advance-
Stephanie

Dear maria,
What a wonderful blog! Thank you for your great advice about visiting the beautiful seven Rila Lakes. By the way, I am writing this and everything is in capitals. Very Annoying!
This summer, my wife and I will be retiring and we will be living permanently in Bulgaria. We have a house in Kalotina, about 60 km north of Sofia, and an apartment in Veliko Tarnovo. You can read about our adventures in my blog, http://www.bulgariawithnoodles.blogspot.com and my blog has this strange title because at the moment we are still in China.

Marta monteiro|June 2, 2018

Hi, maria! Thank you for Your post, was really useful! I Will arrive on a saturday To sofia And would do the hike on sunday or MONDAYand noticed the Shuttles only Work on tuesday, THUrsday And saturday. So I think i’ll have To Go by taxi or by public transport… do you Have any idea of how much might cost the taxi? We are two people so maybe its cheaper than public transport and easier… thank you a lot!

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Travelling Buzz is a blog about adventure and city travel in Europe! From skydiving in Spain to kayaking on the Black Sea, my goal is to inspire people to travel more and follow their dreams by exploring new places and taking new adventures!

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